How to grow and care for Calathea leopardina, and how often should you water it

Calathea leopardina belongs to the genus Calathea in the family Marantaceae and is a perennial herb. It gets its name "cat's eye" Calathea because its leaves stand upright at night and spread out and droop during the day, resembling a cat's eye. Calathea leopardina is also excellent at purifying indoor air and is much loved by people. Many plant enthusiasts do not know the growing methods and precautions for Calathea leopardina, so let's explore them together.

I. Growing methods for Calathea leopardina

1. Propagation

Calathea leopardina is mostly propagated by division of the roots, carried out in early summer; it can also be propagated by cuttings.

2. Soil

Calathea leopardina should be repotted once every other year. The potting soil should be loose, fertile, well-draining and aerated, and slightly acidic soil rich in humus is best. To grow Calathea leopardina, you can use leaf mold or peat soil mixed with a small amount of coarse sand or perlite.

3. Light

Calathea leopardina is not cold-tolerant, nor drought-tolerant, and fears scorching sun exposure. Direct sunlight will scorch its leaves, causing localized scorching at the leaf edges, halting the growth of new leaves, and turning the leaves yellow, so shading must be paid attention to when growing Calathea leopardina. However, it should not be kept too shady either, otherwise it will grow weakly, and the markings on the leaves of some variegated varieties will fade or even disappear. It is best to place Calathea leopardina in a spot with bright light but no direct sunlight.

4. Temperature

When growing Calathea leopardina, if the winter temperature drops below 15 °C, its growth stops, and if it stays below 13 °C for a long time, its leaves will suffer cold damage. Therefore, the wintering temperature for Calathea leopardina should ideally not be lower than 13 °C, and it should receive more light, stop fertilizing, and have watering appropriately reduced; simply keep the potting soil from drying out completely, and wait until new leaves grow in spring before resuming normal care.

5. Watering

Calathea leopardina is quite sensitive to water. During the growing season it should be watered thoroughly to keep the potting soil moist, but the soil should not become waterlogged, otherwise it will cause root rot and even death of the plant.

6. Humidity

Calathea leopardina has relatively large leaves and evaporates water quickly, so it has high requirements for air humidity. If the air humidity is insufficient, its leaves will immediately curl, reacting very sensitively. Especially during the growing period of new leaves, it should be misted frequently, otherwise dry air will make it difficult for new leaves to unfurl, cause leaf edges to scorch and turn yellow, and result in small, lusterless leaves.

7. Fertilizing

Late spring and early summer is the growing period for new leaves of Calathea leopardina. Apply a diluted, decomposed liquid fertilizer or compound fertilizer once every 10 days; in summer and the beginning of autumn, fertilize once every 20 to 30 days. Generally, the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium ratio for fertilizing Calathea leopardina is 2:1:1, to keep the leaves bright and beautifully patterned.

8. Pests and diseases

Common pests of Calathea leopardina include mealybugs, red spider mites, aphids, and scale insects.

II. Precautions for growing Calathea leopardina

If there is no indoor heating in winter and the temperature in your area drops below 18 °C, Calathea leopardina will have a hard time getting through the winter. When the cold winter arrives, besides paying attention to insulation, watering should be strictly controlled. At this time, overly wet potting soil can easily cause root and stem rot; even if the leaves wither when the soil is slightly dry, new leaves will sprout again when spring warms up. When new leaves begin to sprout, do not water too much either. Only as the new leaves increase should the amount of watering be gradually increased.